Arno Carstens 'smelled of alcohol'

Cape Town 130122. WATERTIGHT CASE: SA musician, Arno Carstens on his to the Cape Town Magistrate's court this morning, on trial for a drunken driving charge .Reporter: Jade Otto Picture: Jason Boud

Cape Town - Rock star Arno Carstens smelled of alcohol and staggered on his feet when he was arrested for drunk driving about three years ago, the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court has heard - a claim the former Springbok Nude Girls frontman denies.

This was the evidence of Constable Lionel Galant who took the standon Tuesday.

Galant said his partner first noticed a black Mercedes Benz with tinted windows around 11pm on December 19, 2010. Galant pursued but Carstens kept turning into side roads.

Later, when Galant sounded his siren Carstens stopped the vehicle.

“I … asked him to get out. I noticed he was unsteady on his feet and… he smelled of alcohol.

“I asked the accused if he had had anything to drink, he said yes and that he just came from a party where he had a few beers,” Galant testified.

Carstens’s attorney, Milton de la Harpe, said that if necessary, he would lead expert evidence that alcohol did not smell and that one could stagger for many reasons including that you were “extremely nervous”.

De la Harpe further slammed Galant’s evidence, saying he had fabricated it after going through the transcripts of the case.

De la Harpe was referring to Galant’s testimony that he “noticed he (Carstens) was driving faster, then slower then faster then slower”.

De la Harpe told the court he had seen Galant going through the case docket and transcripts of the record before the case started. He said he would argue that it questioned Galant’s credibility.

Carstens denied the allegations.

Prosecutor Anne Hess is expected to call an expert witness when the trial continues on Wednesday